Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, has accepted an invitation to deliver the closing prayer at next week’s Democratic National Convention. As was previously announced, he will also be offering the closing prayer at the Republican Convention on Thursday of this week.We knew from the get-go that Dolan was willing to pray at both conventions, but the criticisms (largely from the left) came anyway. Now they’ll probably start coming from the right.
It was made clear to the Democratic Convention organizers, as it was to the Republicans, that the Cardinal was coming solely as a pastor, only to pray, not to endorse any party, platform, or candidate. The Cardinal consulted Bishop Peter Jugis of the Diocese of Charlotte, who gave the Cardinal his consent to take part in the convention that will be taking place in his diocese.
Such criticisms will be misplaced. Many pro-abortion and pro-same-sex marriage groups try to pain the Catholic church not as a religious body but rather as an “anti-woman” or “anti-gay” political lobby. Having Dolan pray at the Democratic convention makes it much harder for them to make that argument. After all, one never would invite the heads of Americans for Tax Reform or Freedom Works to the DNC podium. Christian moral commitments are not essentially partisan ones, and it important that Democrats as well as Republicans recognize this.
The takeaway is this: A silent, respectful reception for Dolan will constitute a minor affirmation of the special importance of religion in American life. And a rude reception? Well, that would embarrass all those who seek to discredit the church’s moral witness.
May I humbly remind Cardinal Dolan,
ReplyDeleteas he preens and pontificates under the spotlights
of the political conventions:
there is really room for only ONE superstar in his religion.
And as the Cardinal addresses and blesses the Republicans and their billionaire buddies,
as he smiles upon those who would destroy Social Security and voucher Medicare to death,
and as he joins with those who readily admit they they “don’t care about the very poor”......
it would be good, it would be very good ...for the good Cardinal
to remember -and take to heart- the words of his boss,
who once said “What you do for the least of these you do for me”.
Unless perhaps, the Cardinal is working for someone else these days?
Not only do Politics and Religion not mix:
they bring out the worst in each other.
And they destroy each other.
One could only hope that the Catholic faith might help destroy that most important "sacrament" of the Democratic Party, abortion, followed closely by its farce of the real sacrament inherent in its support of so-called "same-sex marriage."
DeleteThe problem is the pretext of the state being the sole caregiver to the poor. When the family was no longer required to care for their own elderly and aging kin, the caring for the "least of these" that were the closest to us was neglected, and we expect the state to forcibly dole out Christian charity. If you look to the history of the Church, many of the saints were affluent and many more came from affluent families, and the charity embodied by the very rich is what set the example for the average man, as I am. Look to Sts. Henry, Edward, Louis, to name a few.
DeleteThese words were not meant for the state, but for the individual. After all, the state does not go to heaven or hell, it is you and I. May the good Lord have mercy on me for my own lack of charity. I am not a college grad, I have a stay at home wife and make little enough that I file my income taxes as exempt. I live a very simple life out of desire, choosing to eat beans and rice, etc. I do not take any government assistance, and I am still able to tithe over 10% of my gross pay, and yet there is so much money I still waste and so much more opportunity for me to truly give alms.
Let us in America remove the plank from our own eyes before discussing what kind of lumber someone else may have in theirs.
Whoops - I signed in with my wife's ID.
DeleteI guess "least" doesn't include the "smallest," most innocent and vulnerable. It's not religion and politics that bring out the worst in us, it's SIN.
DeleteSusan A